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Government Restrictions on Ticket Resale Websites Shot Down in UK

EDM.com Staff

Brittish Parliament has rejected a proposal to add a clause to the country’s Consumer Bill of Rights that would demand increased transparency from ticket resale websites. Among other information, the clause would have required ticket resellers to provide details on who was selling the ticket, what its face value had been, and what the terms of its original purchase were.

The House of Lords has voted in favor of the proposal by a 183 to 171 margin back in November, with Labour MP Sharon Hodgson declaring, “Ticket touts have operated with impunity for far too long. In no other market would we put up with not knowing who we were buying from or whether they even had permission to sell us a product.”

However, votes by members of the Parliament in favor of adding the clause only total 204 while those against reach 289, ousting the proposal’s chances of taking effect. Although Parliament has determined that the new restrictions would “overburden fans with red tape,” over 80 figures from music, sports and theatre have signed an open letter urging the contrary. “It’s high time the Government stopped sticking up for them, and decided to put fans first,” states the letter.